Bear, Otter, and the Kid

Three years ago, Bear McKenna's mother took off for parts unknown with her new boyfriend, leaving Bear to raise his six-year-old brother Tyson, aka the Kid. Somehow they've muddled through, but since he's totally devoted to the Kid, Bear isn't actually doing much living. With a few exceptions, he's retreated from the world, and he's mostly okay with that - until Otter comes home. Otter is Bear's best friend's older brother, and as they've done for their whole lives, Bear and Otter crash and collide in ways neither expect.

Wolfsong

Ox was 23 when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his blood red eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces. It's been three years since that fateful day and the boy is back. Except now he's a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.

The Queen & the Homo Jock King: At First Sight

Do you believe in love at first sight? Sanford Stewart sure doesn't. In fact, he pretty much believes in the exact opposite, thanks to the Homo Jock King. It seems Darren Mayne lives for nothing more than to create chaos in Sandy's perfectly ordered life, just for the hell of it. Sandy despises him, and nothing will ever change his mind. Or so he tells himself.

How to Be a Normal Person

Gustavo Tiberius is not normal. He knows this. Everyone in his small town of Abby, Oregon, knows this. He reads encyclopedias every night before bed. He has a pet ferret called Harry S. Truman. He owns a video rental store that no one goes to. His closest friends are a lady named Lottie with drag queen hair and a trio of elderly Vespa riders known as the We Three Queens.

In the Middle of Somewhere

Daniel Mulligan is tough, snarky, and tattooed, hiding his self-consciousness behind sarcasm. Daniel has never fit in - not at home in Philadelphia with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates looked down on him. Now, Daniel's relieved to have a job at a small college in Holiday, Northern Michigan, but he's a city boy through and through, and it's clear that this small town is one more place he won't fit in.

Tell Me It's Real

Do you believe in love at first sight? Paul Auster doesn't. Paul doesn't believe in much at all. He's thirty, slightly overweight, and his best features are his acerbic wit and the color commentary he provides as life passes him by. His closest friends are a two-legged dog named Wheels and a quasibipolar drag queen named Helena Handbasket. He works a dead-end job in a soul-sucking cubicle, and if his grandmother's homophobic parrot insults him one more time, Paul is going to wring its stupid neck.

The Lightning-Struck Heart

Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident. Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam's pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the king's wizard, Morgan of Shadows.

Out of Nowhere: Middle of Somewhere, Book 2

The only thing in Colin Mulligan's life that makes sense is taking cars apart and putting them back together. In the auto shop where he works with his father and brothers, he tries to get through the day without having a panic attack or flying into a rage. Drinking helps. So does running and lifting weights until he can hardly stand. But none of it can change the fact that he's gay, a secret he has kept from everyone.

Crossroads

After divorcing the woman he'd been with since he was 17, Nick Fuller is starting over. He owns the restaurant of his dreams, and he's determined to meet new people, find new passions, and experience life to its fullest. Easier said than done - that is until he meets his new neighbor, Bryce Tanner. Neither man has ever wanted another guy, but there's a connection between Nick and Bryce from the start - a spark they can't deny.

The Heart of Texas: Texas Series, Book 1

Riley Hayes, the playboy of the Hayes family, is a young man who seems to have it all: money, a career he loves, and his pick of beautiful women. His father, CEO of HayesOil, passes control of the corporation to his two sons; but a stipulation is attached to Riley's portion. Concerned about Riley's lack of maturity, his father requires that Riley 'marry and stay married for one year to someone he loves'. Angered by the requirement, Riley seeks a means of bypassing his father's stipulation.

Something Like Summer: Something Like..., Book 1

The hot Texas nights were lonely for Ben before his heart began beating to the rhythm of two words; Tim Wyman. By all appearances, Tim had the perfect body and ideal life, but when a not-so-accidental collision brings them together, Ben discovers that the truth is rarely so simple. If winning Tim's heart was an impossible quest, keeping it would prove even harder as family, society, and emotion threaten to tear them apart. Something Like Summer is a love story spanning a decade and beyond as two boys discover what it means to be friends, lovers, and sometimes even enemies.

Some Kind of Magic: Being(s) in Love, Book 1

Ray needs Cal's expertise, but it isn't easy to concentrate with his mate walking around half naked, trying to publicly seduce him. By the time Ray identifies the killer - and sorts out a few prejudices of his own - it may be too late for Cal.

Sacrati

As an elite Sacrati fighter in the mighty Torian military, Theos is blessed with a city full of women who want to bear his children, and a barracks full of men proud to fight at his side and share his bed. He has everything he needs - until he captures Finnvid on a raid. Finnvid is on a secret mission to prevent the Torian invasion of his homeland Elkat. Being enslaved by Torian soldiers wasn't in his plans. Neither is his horrified fascination with the casual promiscuity of the Sacrati warriors. Men should not lie with other men - and he should not be so intrigued when they do.

Into This River I Drown

Five years ago, Benji Green lost his beloved father Big Eddie when his truck crashed into a river. Everyone called it an accident, but Benji knows it was more. Even years later, he's buried in his grief, throwing himself into managing Big Eddie's convenience store in the small-town of Roseland, Oregon. Surrounded by his mother and three aunts, he lives day to day, struggling to keep his head above water. But Roseland is no ordinary place.

The Law of Attraction

Alec Rowland is a high-flying lawyer in a London firm, whose career is his life. He doesn't have time for relationships, and his sexuality is a closely guarded secret. After picking up a cute guy on a Friday night, Alec's world is rocked to its foundations when his one night stand shows up in the office on Monday morning - as the new temp on his team.

HIM

Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wisecracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were 18? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

Breakaway: Scoring Chances, Book 1

Drafted to play for the Jacksonville Sea Storm, an NHL affiliate, 20-year-old Lane Courtnall's future looks bright, apart from the awkwardness he feels as a gay man playing on a minor league hockey team. He's put his foot in his mouth a few times and alienated his teammates. Then, during a rivalry game, Lane throws off his gloves against Jared Shore, enforcer for the Savannah Renegades. It's a strange way to begin a relationship.

Black Dog Blues: The Kai Gracen Series, Book 1

Ever since being part of the pot in a high-stakes poker game, elfin outcast Kai Gracen figures he used up his good karma when Dempsey, a human Stalker, won the hand and took him in. Following the violent merge of Earth and Underhill, the human and elfin races are left with a messy, monster-ridden world, and Stalkers are the only cavalry willing to ride to someone's rescue when something shadowy appears.

Collide

At 10 years old, Noah Jameson and Cooper Bradshaw collided midair when they dove for the same football. For three years they were inseparable...until one day when Noah and his parents disappeared in the middle of the night. Noah and Cooper never knew what happened to each other. Now, 17 years later, after finding his boyfriend in bed with another man, Noah returns to Blackcreek looking for a fresh start. And damned if he doesn't find his old friend grew up to be as sexy as sin.

Kage

My name is Jamie Atwood, and I'm an addict. I never thought I'd say such a thing. Never had a problem being overly attached to anything in my life. I came from a perfectly middle-class family, made good grades, and had a hot cheerleader girlfriend...but the truth is, nothing ever really moved me. So how did a guy like me become an addict? I met Michael Kage. Kage is an MMA fighter. A famous one. I like to think I helped him get that way.

Knight of Ocean Avenue

How can you be 25 and not know you're gay? Billy Ballew runs from that question. A high school dropout, barely able to read until he taught himself, Billy's life is driven by his need to help support his parents as a construction worker, put his sisters through college, coach his Little League team, and not think about being a three-time loser in the engagement department. Then, in preparation for his sister's big wedding, Billy meets Shaz - alias Chase Phillips - a rising-star celebrity stylist who defines the word gay.

The Truth as He Knows It: Perspectives, Book 1

Officer Noel Carlson isn't out to anyone in small-town Stratton, Pennsylvania, so a relationship is out of the question. That doesn't stop him from wanting one, though. When a night-shift call brings him face-to-thonged-butt with a hired stripper whose girl-party gig went terribly wrong, Noel takes pity on the guy and lets him go. But he can't get the encounter out of his mind.

Beneath the Stain

In a town as small as Tyson, CA, everybody knew the four brothers with the four different fathers - and their penchant for making good music when they weren't getting into trouble. For Mackey Sanders, playing in Outbreak Monkey with his brothers and their friends - especially Grant Adams - made Tyson bearable. But Grant has plans for getting Mackey and the Sanders boys out of Tyson, even if that means staying behind.

Sinner's Gin: Sinners, Book 1

There's a dead man in Miki St. John's vintage Pontiac GTO, and he has no idea how it got there. After Miki survives the tragic accident that killed his best friend and the other members of their band, Sinner's Gin, all he wants is to hide from the world in the refurbished warehouse he bought before their last tour. But when the man who sexually abused him as a boy is killed and his remains are dumped in Miki's car, Miki fears death isn't done with him yet.

Publisher's Summary

Sequel to Who We Are

Tyson Thompson graduated high school at 16 and left the town of Seafare, Oregon, bound for what he assumed would be bigger and better things. He soon found out the real world has teeth, and he returns to the coast with four years of failure, addiction, and a diagnosis of panic disorder trailing behind him. His brother, Bear, and his brother's husband, Otter, believe coming home is exactly what Tyson needs to find himself again. Surrounded by family in the Green Monstrosity, Tyson attempts to put the pieces of his broken life back together.

But shortly after he arrives home, Tyson comes face to face with inevitability in the form of his childhood friend and first love, Dominic Miller, who he hasn't seen since the day he left Seafare. As their paths cross, old wounds reopen, new secrets are revealed, and Tyson discovers there is more to his own story than he was told all those years ago.

In a sea of familiar faces, new friends, and the memories of a mother's devastating choice, Tyson will learn that in order to have any hope for a future, he must fight the ghosts of his past.

This book lived entirely up to expectation. I can't wait for the next (and final, sadly) instalment. This quirky family is, once met, never to be forgotten. Why someone hasn't optioned the film rights and started a series is beyond belief!!

What made the experience of listening to The Art of Breathing the most enjoyable?

No matter what I was doing when listing to the book, I would stop and become surrounded by the story line which was unfolding. There were moments of pure breath taking emotion which would make me catch my breath and scrunch my face up to try and stop the tears.

"Bear, Otter and the Kid"'s third instalment should suffer from believability - what are the chances Ty and Dom are also gay and in love? Suspend your disbelief for a bit and dive into another masterpiece from TJ Klune. I'm pretty sure TJ wrote three instalments over a number of years, or at least it feels like it. "Bear, Otter and the Kid" is irreverent and optimistic. "The Art of Breathing" is darker and more real. He's kept his irreverent style I loved in the first book, but by this third book, he's story telling is real and relatable. He wraps up "Bear, Otter and the Kid"'s story with such elegance. With a throw back to the beginning, he ends Ty's book with an "off the rails" rant from Bear. Just perfect! There aren't enough stars to rate this book - buy it, live it and love it like I did. The best series of books bar none! If you love this book, you have to check out "Into This River I Drown".

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

K.S.

05/06/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Amazing characters"

This series is one out of Two competing for first place in my m/m series self - i simply love the characters in the books and the amazing Way klune makes Them come Alive. You really get to know Them all Well though this series. I still Think Bear is my favorite and because of that i liked the first books better. But still loved the story of dom and ty. Klune should really quit his dayjob if there is more stories like theese in his head so that he had more time to share Them with the rest of us. Narrator is good but i Think i liked the narrator of Who we are better.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Morgan A Skye

22/09/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Not what I was expecting"

Here’s a brief run-down of the story:

Ty has fallen for Dom, Dom ends up getting married and having a baby. Ty gets freaked the eff out and runs away to school where he gets addicted to anti-anxiety drugs. Ty makes a friend/boyfriend but it’s not “all that”. Ty gets off drugs. Ty goes on a trip to the Southwest. Ty reconnects with Dom. Crazy stuff happens in the last few pages showing us what will likely show up in the next installment.

It took me forever to write this review – so long in fact, the audiobook came out! So…I decided to combine the two, save everyone some time.

I think the main reason it took so long to write this is my ambivalence towards the book.

Things that I loved: It was great seeing everyone again. I love these characters. They make me laugh and cry and howl. They are so very entertaining. I had longed to see Ty and Dom together and was so satisfied when they finally do hook up. TJ is a hysterical writer and I am always entertained by his writing. The forward movement of the story looks fantastic and I can’t wait to see Bear and Otter as parents again! Hopefully we will get to see more of Ty and Dom as an established couple in the next book.

What I didn’t love: So much of the story was NOT about Ty and Dom together. The story felt fractured into these widely divergent pieces. There was the “remember when”, “the reunion”, “the trip to meet Sandy”, “lots of lots of Ty angst” and only a teeny tiny smidge of “Ty and Dom the couple”. I wanted that, the couple part. I yearned for it. And they were almost never together on page.

What I both loved and hated: Bear’s ramblings: He’s funny and I love where his mind goes, but sometimes he took the light away from Ty and Dom.

Dom: He changed. I really felt like the sweet, never going to leave Ty-guy, did. He left Ty. That was really hard to swallow. And I don’t know that I felt like that change was ever really fully justified. On the other hand, new-Dom was a more complex character and I really appreciated that he actually seems like a grown-up with grown-up concerns and priorities in a land of perpetual “Young Adults” like Bear and Creed.

The Cross Over: I both loved and hated the cross over with “Tell Me It’s Real”. It felt superfluous. Sure, I LOVED that book and thought all the interactions between the characters were funny. But necessary? No. Not really.

Kori/Core: As the best friend cum boyfriend s/he did fulfill an important roll, but again, sometimes I felt like this was more about Ty and Kori than Dom. Kori got more pages (it felt) than Dom.

I think that, at this point, some of the ramblings and meanderings that have become sort of the hallmark to TJ’s writing could really use a more forceful editing. He clearly has talent, creativity and an amazing sense of humor, but I wish that this book could have been more focused and more tightly drawn to show Dom and Ty more and the others, less. (Even though they’re funny, they took away from the story. IMHO)

So, though I hate to do it, I’d give this a 3 of 5 stars. I liked it (at times I loved it) but when I look back at what I wish the story was and what I got, I’m disappointed. It won’t stop me from being a fan and from devouring the next book, but I am hopeful there will be some positive changes.

Audiobook:I love Sean Crisden. I think he does a terrific job and I really liked his Dom voice. He also did great work with Sandy and though I wouldn’t have thought of Vince as a kind of stoner, it worked. Ty was appropriately whiny and Otter rumbly. I think I enjoyed listening to this more than reading it because Sean gives the characters even more color and charm. Of course it’s sooooo long, 15 hours, so pace yourself, but it’s worth it! 4.5 of 5 stars.

Overall 4 of 5 stars.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Jasmine Robinson

16/01/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Just as amazing as the other books in the series"

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bear. He is a complete oblivious and adorable idiot, but he has a heart of gold.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, I both laughed and cried, I also felt truly angry at parts.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

HaloLove

06/02/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Good grief..."

Any additional comments?

There were so many beautiful, funny, loving, heart-breaking, and amazing moments in this story but you have to get through so many annoying, babbling, unnecessary moments ( jumping to and from memory lane) to get to them.

I almost regret not getting the book so I could just skim through all the babbling and all the stories that jump to the past then to the future, back to the past, then to the moment. Good lord! And believe it or not the story did flow well with all that but the same information was repeated over and over and over again, just in different ways.

The hugest disappointment was Ty leaving home to go to college and comes back home more immature than when he left. I was hoping for some growth, maturing, a boy who leaves but comes back a man, even if a broken man but...eh...

At least Corey with a C and K, was an amazing character!!!! My favorite next to Dom. Sandy/Helena was fabulous, of course she/he was. But, I hated the way Paul and Vince's voice sounded in this story!!! Sooooooo NOT Paul and Vince (Tell Me It's Real)!!!

Anyway, like I said, there was so much good...no...I mean, so much AMAZING in this story but there was just so much bad, no not bad per se...but hectic babbling to get to it!

Fabulous performance from Sean Crisden, even though he ruined Paul's (Sandy's best friend) and Vince's (total jock) voices!!! LoL But goodness, he sounded so sexy as Dom!!! That's worth a dozen 5 stars alone. -drools while fanning self-

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Viv

15/10/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Amazing!"

How to describe this book...wonderful, frustrating, beautiful, irritating, moving.

I love every one of the characters in this world that TJ has created (except for Julie). Bear is my absolute favorite and I found myself laughing during every one of Bear's scenes. Ty just drove me completely batty and I was kind of disappointed in the lack of the relationship development between Ty and Dom. I loved visiting Sandy and Paul in Tucson. And I just absolutely loved the epilogue. TJ cannot write BOATK4 fast enough for me!

I loved Sean Crisden's narration. Every voice was distinctive and memorable. Highly recommended!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Juan Carrillo

winnettka ca

26/06/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Breath of Fresh air"

Love the 1st two books so when the third came out could not wait to hear the story and enjoy the moments that otter and Bear and the kid go through..also even though the Kid is sooo smart it's fantastic to see that even he is human...the addition of Cory is very nice and funny moments and Dom loving thy and all the naughtiness that comes with that..lastly meeting izzi can't wait for the final book hope it's soon

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

United States

15/03/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Almost as lovely as BO&TK"

Would you consider the audio edition of The Art of Breathing to be better than the print version?

Yes, Sean Crisden brings them to life - amazingly. Can't say enough of his narration of all of these characters...He Makes Ty, Bear, Dom, everyone literally stand before you.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that everything was not immediately happy, on the other hand we certainly didn't get enough of Dom & Ty being a bit more settled and together.

Have you listened to any of Sean Crisden’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to Sean many many times. I listened to him in the Driven Series and as I said before, he literally brings people to life - makes me laugh and feel the pain. Excellent translation of every story he reads. I noted some stilted performances when he began his narration career - but everything I've listened to within the last 2 years that he has been involved in has literally been amazing.

Who was the most memorable character of The Art of Breathing and why?

For me, Dom. I know we were supposed to be living Ty's angst, but so much of it mirrored Bears (and it makes sense that it would). But it is a little wearing. I can't wait to hear a little more happiness (Bear & Otter's children and Izzy as well as Ty, Dom and Ben settled down and flourishing - winning despite it all!!!). Thanks TJ Klune.

Any additional comments?

As always, I appreciate the normalization of M/M relationships as demonstrated by authors like TJ - NR Walker, etc. This series got a little out there a few times - but probably was restrained for the Gay world I as a heterosexual would not have a clue about. (It's still hard for me to understand the more flamboyant personalities of some characters - but then on the other hand, I'm not crazy about real flamboyant heterosexuals either. Anyway, great story, looking for more obviously and THANK YOU FOR BRINGING BACK SEAN!!!!!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Anna Rock

08/03/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"epic!!!!"

I'm speechless after finishing reading this book. you will be laughing and crying. I did so much crying. TJ does such an amazing job with The Art of Breathing and if you've haven't read the other books before this then you won't understand how crazy and wonderful this whole family and story is. I won't give anything away but tell you that this is just incredible. All the love and heartache all the laughter and friendship is just amazing. and yes this is just a story but what an incredible and amazing and heart wrenching story of when it comes down to it...it's a story about the life of two brothers and the people who they love and all the friendships that are formed. I am devasted that I have to wait...ugh Wait...for the next story to come. five amazingly BRIGHT stars for this book.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Craig

30/01/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Fantastic series"

Keeps your interest going with excellent storyline and real in depth characters that one can identify with. The book is a gay novel, but very tastefully written and very enjoyable to read. I look forward to the next in the series.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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